A grand jury in Michigan returned a 56-count indictment Dec. 4 that charges six physicians in a $464 million healthcare fraud scheme, according to the Department of Justice.

Rajendra Bothra, MD, owner and operator of a pain clinic in Warren, Mich., and five physicians who worked at the clinic are accused of prescribing patients opioid pain medication to get them to come in for office visits. During the office visits, the physicians allegedly subjected the patients to unnecessary treatment, including facet joint injections. The physicians “sought to bill insurance companies for the maximum number of services and procedures possible with no regard to the patients’ needs,” the Justice Department said in a press release.

The fraud scheme, which occurred between 2013 and November 2018, allegedly involved more than 13 million unlawfully prescribed opioid prescription drugs.

“The damage that opioid distribution has done to our community and to the United States as a whole has been devastating,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider. “Healthcare professionals who prey on patients who are addicted to opioids in order to line their pockets is particularly egregious. We will continue to prosecute such individuals who choose to violate federal law and their ethical oaths.”